Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-11-10
SWITCH ANNIE"
Interesting Sketch of a Remark
able Character.

Milwaukee has curious figure in
the person of female "switchman,"
Her name is ''Switch Annie" and she
is in the employ of the Chicago. Mil
waukee & St. Paul Company. She has
the honor of being the only female ex-
ponent of the art of Throwing
switches" in the country.
The work is masculine, but the
worker is feminine from the sole of her
sensible walking-shoe to the top of her
shapely head, possessed of the beauty
of an English dairy maid and the
muscle of Il blacksmith.
The eleven switches which she looks
after are out near the stock-yards. and
include the most important points in
the yards. They were formerly in
charge of the girls father, Joseph
Grautner. For years Annie was his as
sistant, helping him almost from the
time she was large enough to throw
the switch-lever. Then she was adj
vanced to regular assistant. The old
man was easily '.rattled," but Annie
never. Her GOODNESS and dexterity
have saved many a loss to the company,
while for herself she was never known
to make mistake that involved the
loss of dollar to the company.
Although Annie has been Throwing
switches" for over twelve years, her
peculiar history has been hidden under
the bushel of her isolated station. Of
the thousands of people whoused every
year to pass her brown switch shanty,
not one was aware that it hid a curious
history.
WhenI applied for information at
the general offices in regard to Annie,
l was referred to the yardmaster, II. S.
TEAL. l found him in his office on the
second floor of a dingy and historic
brick pile, down in the yards My
request brought smile.
''You want to know about AnnieP"
said the rugged yardmaster, as he
swung himself around so as to keep
in view the glistening tracks and NOV
ing panorama of putting engines shift
ing trains that kept weaving the trans
pOrtation threads in the patchwork of
commerce rs we talked.
''Well, she's character. You must
60 out and see her. She'll talk to you.
Isn't afraid of anybody"
''How long has she been on the
roadP"
''Ever since she was n child. Her
father was with the company twenty
years. He only had one leg, and
was rather slow getting about He
was all right so long as he had only
Switches hrtf xULn h.,
ness increased and more were put in
he had to have assistance Then Annie
came in. She was a little thing at that
time, but she was spry, and the way
she would get back and forth between
those switches was surprising. After
n while she was put on regularly as an
assistant to her father. When he was
killed last winter she was given his
PLACID and now supports the family.
They live back of the switch shantv in
a house furnished rent-free by the COM
pany."
''How does her work compare with
that of other Switchmen?"
''She has the cleanest record of any
man in my employ, and we have two
hundred men in the yard. She never
lost dollar for the company, and that
is more than L can say of any man in
the yard. She rarely makes Il mistake,
and when she does it is always through
II signal careIessly given. There is one
thing about Annie remarkable in
woman, she don't seem to know what
fear is. AT the time of the riots last
year that Polish mob. after cleaning
out the shops, came down throuoh the
yards, cleaning out every one i'll their
way. Annie was on duty at the time,
and was the only employee who was not
driven from work. All the rest of
the men ran away and then came
back after the mob had passed. But
Annie staid by her switches. When the
mob reached her one big Pole grabbed
her II NE a''rn. saving: Get GU. O:
here; so h"me. you caa'r work 10